Protests, riots, revolutions: people who move the world

2019 was a noisy year. All over the world, as many people have not taken to the streets for a long time. They were angry, frustrated and desperate - and they denounced the political and social grievances in their countries. Often, as in Hong Kong, her protests were not only loud, but unfortunately also marked by violence.

What people asked for and still partly demand is completely different. The demonstrations served to fight for autonomy or more climate protection, they were directed against corrupt rulers or higher gasoline prices. What unites them all: The movements had no hierarchical structures or leaders - and yet in most cases there was one person who became an identification figure, the icon of the uprising against conditions.

There was, for example, the protest of thousands of young people who moved through city centers all over the world instead of sitting still in school - motivated by a girl from Sweden who had started the "Fridays for Future" demos: Greta Thunberg.

There was also the 22-year-old student Alaa Salah from Sudan, who climbed onto a car roof in Khartoum, wrapped in a white cloth, and cheered on the chants from there: Calls for revolution and freedom. In April, the long-term dictator Omar al-Bashir was overthrown.

There was an old lady in Algeria who opposed the instructions of the security forces, a picture that went around the world. Later Nissa Imad said: "I am an old woman. I am here for the youth, for our children."

And there were the clown grimaces of the comic and film character Joker, which suddenly appeared on the streets, whitewashed faces and red smeared mouths. People in Iraq and Lebanon, in Chile, in Hong Kong , everywhere they identified with the psychologically disturbed character from the "Joker" film with Joaquin Phoenix - who for many became the symbol for the gap between the elites and the common people.

In this photo gallery, see the icons of the 2019 protest year - and what people on the streets of the world are demanding.

photo gallery

11 pictures